Halloween At Home
by Akora Felstream
Summary: The title says it all, more summary inside. Rachel/Al, of course.


My long awaited first Halloween story! Rachel is bummed out that they didn't get invited anywhere for Halloween, but instead of letting it get her down the trio decide to have their own little part for the trick-or-treater's. We see some familiar faces and the theme this year is one that the girls are NOT amused by since it focuses around Jenks. Hope yo enjoy!

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I had to hand it to the pixies, the place looked fantastic. The horde of pixie children had spent the past few days stringing up thin strands of silk strategically around the rafters and just enough dust to give them the look of spider webs. Amongst them hung little rubber bats spelled to squeak and flutter on their strings as they dangled overhead, their little red eyes flashing. Along the walls on the floor stood a small pumpkin for each child depicting everything you could think of from crude hosts and cats to beautiful intricate nightscapes with howling werewolves or witches riding brooms across a full moon. In the windowsills sat more traditional jack-o-lanterns, twisted laughing smiling and sneering faces. Their tops remained open to cast an eerie glow on the stained glass windows behind them.

On the banisters that stood before the slightly raised platform that housed Ivy's baby grand piano and my exquisite desk sat numerous pillar candles of all sizes, all white since they were the cheapest, and flickering in the draft that coursed through the sanctuary.

Ivy was standing by the opened doors having just lit the last little candle inside the last pumpkin when I peeked in to see how it was going. When she was sure that all the little lights were lit she flicked off the lights and smiled into the dimly lit room. It had a haunting glow to it from the light cast by the candles all around the room and gave a decent chill with the sound of fluttering wings and high pitched squeaks up above as the bats were now mostly invisible except for the weak reflections of light on the faux coats and the flashing eyes.

Satisfied, Ivy strode to the coffee table in the little section we held as a conference area when we interviewed our undead clients and heaved the gigantic bowl of sweets in one hand and bowl of tomatoes in the other. "Do you think we got enough?" I teased as I walked across to her.

She smiled. "We'll find out I imagine," was her soft reply. We had decided we would have a theme this year since we weren't invited to any Halloween parties this year. I was actually amused with Jenks determination until the rolls were passed out. From the way Ivy looked now, you would have thought she was indifferent, but when she was told she was going to be Wendy, she smoldered quickly enough and threatened to leave. I was glad she didn't. She had her hair pulled back from her face and it was charmed to hold tight locks. With the light blue night gown she looked like a chine doll, but I was not going to say that to her face.

Jenks was of course Peter Pan, and had gone to great lengths to have his costume perfect. He had on a skin tight green body suit complete with sheathed sword on his hip and a cap on his head adorned with a single red feather. I remembered him big, and the costume left little to the imagination, but I could ignore that for one night.

You guessed it. If Ivy was Wendy, Jenks Peter Pan, then I was Tinkerbelle. My costume turned out to be the most difficult, but Jenks and his brood of 'Lost Boys and Girls' had made sure that I was as close to their Tink as possible. I wore a skin tight get up that had to be spelled to stay in place that showed way too much leg, my entire back, and left most of my chest and all my shoulders bare. I had managed to find some fairy wings that were unadorned with some crazy glittery pattern and that hug relatively close to my body instead of sticking out where I could knock something over or hit someone. The kids had gone to work on me the second I was dressed making patterns in the wings to match their own, and using a tube of makeup glitter to make my entire eye are almost reflective surfaces. They even went as far as to make my hair, shoulders, and the slight amount of breast I have glisten with a light glitter. Last but not least was a charm to turn my hair golden blond instead of fire engine red.

I looked Ivy over slowly sighing. "Do you think next year you can wear the skimpy outfit and I'll wear something comfortable?"

Ivy only grinned flashing her perfect white teeth. "If you can manage not to get into trouble until next year I'll make it a point to."

I laughed and slipped into the green heels complete with little white puff ball. I was going to kill Jenks for making me wear this crap. Deep down though, I kind of liked looking sexy. The only problem was there wasn't going to be anyone to see it besides toddlers and their parents. I bet that would go over really well with the grown ups.

The sky was still light with the last rays of sunlight clutching desperately for a few minutes more when we had our first trick-or-treat party. We were popular this year since we were a church and we were open unlike last year. Every human family seemed to be invading the Hollows tonight, out to mingle with the Interlanders and pretend to belong.

For Interland children we had a second bowl of tomatoes that we handed out to their delight. With human children we kept to the candy and made sure the bowl of red fruit were out of sight. No need to cause a panic, right? We treated little princesses, ninjas, pirates, werewolves, witches, which I found adorable and irritating at the same time when more often then not they sported some kind of long green nose or warts on their chins or across their faces. Ivy tried to tell me it was all in good fun, but I caught her going a little hot under the curls when little kids and even teenagers were seen at the door or walking the sidewalks dressed like they should be working street corners sported pointed fangs and fake blood on their lips and throats.

It wasn't long until we had some familiar visitors. Ceri had come to visit for a short while dressed in the beautiful flowing robes of white she looked every bit the dark haired goddess she was pretending to be. In her arms was a beautiful baby girl, affectionately named Reina was wrapped in a pristine white cloth trimmed in gold. Accompanying her was Trent and Quen, both dressed to match the young elven woman they escorted. I didn't think it was right for the men to be showing almost as much leg and even more chest then I was showing, but that was just me.

When they made their departure back to the compound where Trent was hosting a gala, which we were conveniently not invited to, Ryan Cromwell, master vampire of Cincinnati came to send his regards to Ivy and me. I found it amusing that the vampire had chosen to portray himself as Trent Kalamack, when last year the rolls were reversed. I had to admit, this charmed disguise was convincing enough that had he been wearing a toga instead of the perfectly tailored suit we would have never known.

It didn't take much coaxing to pry Ivy away to a vampire get together. Secretively, I hoped that Ryan convinced Ivy to start practicing again. She may hate that part of herself, but it was a part of her all the same. When she ignored or denied it, it made living together infinitely more complicated. In the end I was the only one left. We ran out of candy near midnight and had to close our doors for the night. Jenks took his brood out to enjoy the evening and trick or treat some themselves.

I wanted nothing more then to kick off the heels and gorge on the stashed bag of candy in the kitchen, plop down in front of the TV and enjoy some classic horror movies, some as old as pre-Turn.

As I dug out the bag of candy hiding in the back of my cupboard I noticed a few bags of unopened buttery popcorn. Why not? I grabbed two and popped them in the microwave. Chocolate, popcorn, and old movies in a church all to me, this was going to be a perfect evening, even if I wasn't completely keen on the all to myself part. When the popping of kernels started to diminish I dumped both bags into a bright red tub smiling as the little balls of puffy buttery goodness piled high.

I took a step into the sanctuary, a towering bowl of popcorn in one hand, a bag of candies in the other and stopped dead when I saw that I wasn't the only one here after all. Pierce sat on my leather couch, feet propped up on the coffee table already flipping through channel. "Student?" he asked when he caught sight of me.

"Al!" I yelled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ah, will if it isn't my favorite…" Pausing mid sentence I felt the heat of his gaze at it raked over me from head to toe and back, "pixie princess?" he ventured a guess.

"Tinkerbelle," I corrected sternly walking to him to set down the bowl and bag. "This is Halloween after all."

"Quite right, dove," he grinned out of Pierces face. "That is why I am dressed up according to tradition." In a graceful motion he stood and turned for me. "What do you think?"

Against my will, my eyes roved Pierce's body taking hi his broad shoulders, deep chest, narrow waist, terrific ass, and sculpted legs. When I could bring my eyes back to his I smirked and crossed my arms over my near indecently exposed chest. "I'm not a fan of it. What else you got?" I teased at him.

Barking with laughter, Al sat back down with a creak of leather beneath him. "I'm afraid this is all I've got for tonight." He picked up the bag of candy and ripped the top open taking out a bite sized Snickers.

My mouth dropped open. Al had possessed Pierce, not just playing look-a-like with witch. I followed his movements and sat on the couch near enough to reach the popcorn and snatch the bag back out of his hands. Al chuckled and popped my favorite candy into his mouth, making a great show of licking his lips and moaning appreciatively. I stood gawking at him for a few moments more before he spoke, eyes never leaving the screen. "If you want, I can give you something to put in that inviting mouth of yours."

I snapped my mouth shut and scowled at the demon. Jerk stealing my candy. What nerve! "Stop taking all the Snickers. Take the Reese's or something." Al only grinned at me and continued to flip through channels until he found an old black and white monster movie.

We sat in silence watching the movie. Al scooted the coffee table closer so it wasn't so far to reach for _my_ popcorn. I glared at him, but said nothing. Instead I took a few popping them one at a time into my mouth. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt something feather light against the bare skin of my chest. I looked down just in time to see a single piece of popcorn come to rest in my lap.

Dramatically slow, I turned to face the demon who was stone still watching the TV. His innocence was shattered when the corners of his mouth twitched. I didn't think about it, I just picked up the offending morsel and tossed it back at him.

The fight was on. Movies played through unwatched as Al and I continued our popcorn war. When all was said and done, there were little kernels lying scattered like snow literally everywhere. I don't know when it happened, but after we exhausted our supply of candy and the argument over who got the Snickers bars, we were laying on the couch comfortably. Al was on his back nearest to the edge, on arm behind his head for support and the other draped loosely around my waist while I lay with my arms lying across his. I was positioned comfortably pressed between him and the leather back of the couch, head resting on his chest listening to his heartbeat and even partially to the movie.

We stayed like that even when Jenks and his kids came home followed soon after Ivy. Both were too tired to notice something off about the young witch that I snuggled with and only waved and gave weak disapproving looks at us. "Just keep it down." Ivy had said before disappearing down the hall to her room. Jenks in his brood had disappeared into the garden, enjoying the last few warm evenings before winter hit hard.

I must have fallen asleep somewhere along the way because when I opened my eyes the sky outside had lightened though dawn had not yet officially broke. I was being held much closer and more securely then before. One large warm hand kept me propped up against a strong chest, the other stroking my hair gently. The stroking hand paused when I shifted and looking up into the gray eyes of Pierce, knowing that hiding behind them were the red goat eyes that I had come to find comfort in.

Time stopped it seemed like, though it must have been racing on faster then either of us realized. As I watched, Pierce's lips descended onto mine. The kiss was familiar, but it was completely different due to who had control of the reigns this time. It was a chaste brush of lips, but I only felt a faint flicker of sparks behind it.

I pulled back looking up at Al and frowned. This was Al, but the body was wrong. I didn't want Pierce I wanted the one controlling him. "Al," I breathed his name making him shudder at the gentle tone. "I don't want it this way." The demon took a deep breath and nodded lifted me enough to slide away from me. I grabbed his wrist bringing his attention back to me. "I didn't mean it like that."

Al tilted his head and stared down at me. Eyes darted to the leather chair that sat adjacent to the couch then to the quickly growing light outside the stained glass windows. When he brought his eyes back to me he was grinning. "We'll have moments, no more."

Without another word, Pierce was settled to rest in the chair and closed his eyes. He jerked once, twice, and then in the flow of ever after Al pulled free from the borrowed body, leaving the witch behind asleep.

Normally I would be slack jawed at the display, but I wasn't given the chance. Al strode back to me and sat beside me on the couch while I still lay half propped up by my hands. He raised a gloved hand and as he touched my cheek in a soft caress it disappeared. Again I felt that spark, that tingling sensation along my skin where he touched me.

My eyes closed for a moment and I smiled breathing in the scent of burnt amber, but it was so subtle I thought I only smelled it because I should have. When I opened my eyes I saw Al watching me hungrily. Slowly, he lowered his lips to mine and the world washed away. This was the faint feeling I had felt moments before amplified a hundred full. His lips were like burning fire, soft and eager against my own. I was light headed, breathless, and the kiss was still light, mostly innocent, but held a promise for more. My hand came up and gently traced a line of burning fire down the demons jaw. Shuddering Al pulled me close pressing me against the crushed green velvet frock. His hands stroked my naked back, curved around my hips and down my thighs making me tremble with desire.

In that moment, I wanted him with a primal lust that I had never felt before. And in that same moment, he was taken away from me. Dawn touched the sky and the demon was called back to the ever after. Pierce across from me stirred and opened his eyes. When he saw me still dressed up, or lacking in the dressed department, he flushed. "Mistress witch?"

I opened my eyes slowly, still lost in the pleasure of the kiss, but I didn't get a chance to answer him. I sneezed violently. Smiling I got up and rushed to the kitchen as sneezes wracked my body. Pulling my beautiful mirror from under the island I placed my hands accordingly and couldn't keep the smile from my inner voice anymore then I could if I had spoken out loud._ Hello?_

_My, my dove, I didn't have to wait long_. Al's voice caressed my mind and I could feel that he was as annoyed as I was that dawn had come so soon.

_You know I hate to be rude._ He chuckled and I got an image of him lying in a bed as big as my room, all reds and backs that covered him from the waist down but left a sadly blurred naked chest exposed. I know he could feel my emotions, but I didn't want to hide them from him. In Pierce's body he could have stayed across the lines longer, but it was the demon I had wanted, not the body of the witch he inhabited.

_I hope you are ready for tonight, itchy witch. There is going to be much to do._ I blushed and looked up at the calendar. Tonight would be my night of 'study' in the ever after. _Rest up, student, you'll need every ounce of stamina you can muster. Ta._

The line went dead. I looked up hearing footsteps in the kitchen. When I looked up Pierce was standing on the other side of the counter watching me carefully. "Did I miss something?"

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There you have it! One down, one to go! The second one is going to be split up into a few chapters just because it was so much longer then I had originally meant it to be. I want to give a huge thanks to Assija for pre-reading! I hope you liked it and will enjoy my second just as much! R&R, Happy Halloween, and Merry Samhain to my Brothers and Sisters!


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